Bteabow-tbenchisra machine



B. CURRIER. MEADOW TRENCHING MACHINE. APPLlcATloN man MAR. 5. $915.

\J INVENTOR FRANK B. CUBRIER, OF EJZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

' MnAnow-rnnircnine MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented Aug, 15, 1916.

' I ApplicationfiledcMarch5,1915. Serial No. 12,252.

construction for digging and conveying' away turf.

The invention. has for its general object to provide a combined diggingand conveying bucket of novel, -simple and durable con- Y l struction,and especially designed with the aim of causing the buckets to quicklyand effectively discharge their contents, which is especially desirablein. trenching machines, for the reason that the earth is heavy and soggyand is dumped with difficulty 'because 4of the vacuum orsuctien'produced 'asthe material attempts to drop out of the bucket wheninverted, when the bucketfisl of that type having only one open face,and conipletely closed at all other points. y

More specifcall ,the invention has for its object to provide a conveyerin which the back of the bucket is made up of slats separated one fromanother so as to provide spaces, the slats serving 'to retain materialthat is cut or dug by the bucket as the bucket moves upwardly out ofthetrench and to a-` considerable height where the point of dischargeislocated, and when the bucket is in-` verted to discharge its contents,the latter freely drops out, because there is an avoid-4 ance of alltendency to a suction or vacuum, because ofthe openings between theslats .that form the wall of the bucketl opposite from the open side,and by reason of this construction the buckets can operate at a maximumspeed Awithout the necessity of stopping the conveyer to clean outclogged buckets, which is an objection commonly encountered with bucketsclosed at all points except at the open side where the material enters.-

With such objects in View, and others which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, which will be set forth withparticularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of theinvention, and wherein similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 1s a plan view of a portion of aA chain conveyer with theimproved bucket construction; Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isa perspective view of the body of a-'bucket detached from the conveyerchain or carrier; Fig. 4 is a sectional view show ing the digging actionof the buckets; Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the dumping action ofthe buckets; Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the range of movement ofa bucket during its dumping action; and Fig. 7 is al perspective viewofone of the pairs of slats forming the back or bottom of the bucket.

Referring to the drawingv A designates the buckets and B the endlesscarrier or chain structure to whicli the buckets are attached, suchAendless carrier being designed for use in connection with any kind oftrenching orv other machine. The means for supporting and driving theendless carrier Bvliave not been shown, as the saine form no part ofthepresent invention. l

As shown in Fig. each bucket comprises end walls l which are united by aconnect-` ing wall 2 that forms a cutter, scoop or shovel elementwherebyftlie turf or earth is dug inA the manner shown i in Fig. e. .Inother words, the bucket isla U-shaped structure open at all pointsbetween the end'walls l1, except the side where the cutter element 2 islocated. The material is" li'el'd in the bucket, however, by makinguseof the carrier B as a back or bottom for the bucket. This carrier B ismade up of slats arianged side by side, but having their edges 4.-spaced apart, and the leading portions of the bucket's are pivotallyconnected with theendiess carrier so that the body oftheb'uckets canswing clear ,of the lcarrier at the point of 'dis charge of thelmaterial, as shown inFigs. 5 and 6. Each slat 3, 'as shown in Fig.(,f'has at its l'ends,""'pposite'ly nproje ':ting"'a'p e'ertured lugs 5,and* the lugs of adjacenty -slatsoverlap, as shown in Fig; .1, andareconnected by pins or rivets 6 which pass through tlielugs.l Associatedwith the ends ofthe slats are links a7" which .-'aie fastened to theslats by the'pins or rivets 6, and interposed between lthelinks 7 andends of the slats and surrounding the rivet's or pins 6' are spacingsleeves 8.

25 Figs .and l5.

.lt will thus be seen that the endless carrier is made up of twoparallel chains and intermediate connect-ing slats 3 andthe pins o torniabutnients with which teeth on drive a sprockets or idlers engage tosupport and drive the endless carrier. The buckets are wider than thecarrier, and the end walls 1 of the buckets lie outside the edges oi thecarrier. The leading portions of the end 1o walls 1 of the bucket bodyare provided with apertures 9, as shown in Fig. 3, and throughthese'apertures extend the rivets 6, so that the .bucket will have aswinging movement on an axis passing through the leading portionthereof. In the prese t instance the carrier is shown with two s ts to Aa bucket, but the number niaybe changed if desired. It is necessary tolimit 'the clearing or swinging movement of the buckets at the point ofdischarge,- and for this purposethe end walls are provided with stops l0which are adapted to engage with the carrier at a4 point' ahead of theaxis on which the bucket swings, as clearly shown in During the movementof a bucket from a point where material is received to a'point where itis discharged, the trailing end of the bucket will bear against thecarrier by the edge 1l of the cutting Wall bearing against the slatsandlinks, as

clearly shown in Fig. 4. Thus the carrier .forms a backing which takesthe thrustnof the buckets during the cutting action, a'nd the slats ofthe carrier serve to support the turf or earth in the buckets, as thelatter move to the point of discharge. Then the point of discharge isreached, each bucket .will swing on its pivot through an angle of aboutninety degrees, and in lswinging the 40 bucket moves away from thecarrier so that j the material can readily' drop out Without suction 4orvacuum interfering, as Would be the case if the bucket Was closed at allpoints except that side that receives the material.

As the end,` ,ss carrier makes al comparatively sharp turn at 'the pointof discharge -the slats associated with 'each bucket will move into thelatter to aconsiderabl'e extent and thereby assist ineject'ing thematerial and Vinsure'the self-dumpingof the buckets.

y From the foregoing description taken in connection with theaccoinpanying,drawii1g, `the"advantages fof the construction and methdof operation will be readily under- 5.5 'stood bythose skilledV thev artto Which the'invention'appertains, and Whilel haveV described the`principle of operation, to-

gether with the apparatus which I now consider'fto be the bestembodiment thereof, I

desire to have it understood that the ap a- 'ratusshown is merely`illustrative audit atv such changes may be made when desired as arewithin the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described myinvention, I

' claim as new and desire to secure by Letters latent: t

l. ln a machine of the class described, the combination ot an endlessconveyer including. a series ot' transverse slats liingedly connectedtogether, a series of buckets hingedly connected at their forwardedgesto the conveyer and each bucket being associated With a pluralityof slats` whereby the latter form a bottoni for holding material as the`Conveyor moves upwardly, and means on each bucket whereby the latterswings forwardly and downwardlyv at the point where the lovver flight ofthe conveyor begins, whereby the bucket frees itseltl from the material.

Ar endless conveyor composed of hingedl y connected slats extendingtransversely to the length of the conveyer, buckets opened at the frontand topaiid bottoni and having only their front portions hingedlyconnected with the conveyor, whereby the slats form the bottoms otl thebuckets to support the weight of the material on the upl per flight ofthe conveyer, and stop'ineans for the buckets arranged to permit thelatter to swing forwardly and downwardly and engage the conveyer tosupport the buckets in outstanding position with respect to the downwardflight of the conveyer.

An endless conveyer composed of hingedly con'vected slats extendingtransversely to the length of the conveyer, buckets' opened at the frontand top and bottom vand having only their front portions vhlingedlyconnected with the vconveyer,

whereby the slats forni the bottom of the buckets to support the' weightof the material on the upper flight of the conveyer,'

and stop means for the buckets arranged to permit thelatter to swingforwardly and I downwardly and engage the conveyer to support thebuckets in outstanding position with respect to the downward Hight ofthe conveyer, each bucket being ot such size as to embrace a pluralityof slats ot the conveyer, whereby the slats arch upwardly into thebuckets where the upper flight merges 'into the lower Hight, to therebyloosen the' material in the bucket preparatory to the outwardanddownward l,swing of the buckets.

name to this specification in the presence ot two subscribing Witnesses,

H`Wiincssesz C. BRADWAY, G., II. Ensim.

'Initestiniony whereof I have signed my.

FRANK B. CURRIER;v

